New Site For Green Earth Equities

WOW Package

Motivated Buyers

Given economic realities, not everyone’s as excited about investing money to saving energy as they should be.  The WOW Package is designed to be the “spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.”

From the moment potential buyers drive into up, GEE homes start selling themselves.  Wow is what they experience seeing the attention to such exquisite  detail, from new stucco, roofs and windows to gorgeous kitchens, baths and interior trim… Once completed, this along with the Energy and Done Packages make excellent selling point in person or in advertising.

 

GEE’s WOW Package

• New Real Wood Cabinets throughout in Kitchen and both baths
• Matching Granite Counters in Kitchen and both baths
• New Hood Fan Microwave
• New Gas Stove and Oven
• New Dishwasher
• New Disposal
• New Deep Stainless Steel Sink with premium faucet and spray
• Tile Floors in Kitchen and Baths with Custom Tile showers
• Designer 2 and three tone painted interior
• Crown molding and stepped door Trim
• Designer 3 tone paint exterior with New Dash over sculptured trim
• All ceilings have been replaced with new texture and paint
• New Stucco and Dash Coat for Brand New Look

H

Hamburger, It’s Essential When Feeding A Dog A Pill And…

Have you ever tried to feed a dog a pill, a pill that was going to be good for him?   It was a really good pill, I knew that, but he wouldn’t believe it, and was ready to do me bodliy harm to maintain his position.  Until I brought out the secret weapon.  Hamburger.   I even let him watch me put the pill in the hamburger, then he munched it right down, pill and all.

For the last 30 years, I have made my living persuading customers that my energy conservation pills would be good for them.   I’ve had varying levels of success.   Most dogs didn’t want the pill at all.  Some decided they’d try half a pill.   Rarely have I had a customer who said, “Give me the whole menu!”   Of course the whole menu would have been good for them.  And it is exactly what our country needs if we want to be able to stop buying oil from people who bear us ill will.

So when I semi-retired and started the Energy-Wise House Flipping Adventure called GreenEarthEquities, I knew needed Hamburger.     I knew that if I wanted to sell my houses full of energy saving features, and achieve my neighborhood building and planet saving goals, I would need the best hamburger available.   Hamburger, like granite counter tops and crown molding which my buyers can see.   So they’ll buy the energy features that they cant see.

We include our Energy Package in every project.   It’s the pill.   New HVAC system, new engineered and sealed ductwork, lots of additional insulation, shell sealing top and bottom, new Lo E2 windows, new ventilation system, photo cells and motion sensors etc.   It’s about $20,000 worth but none of it can be seen (except the windows).   So we’ve developed the other two packages that are all about being seen.  They are the hamburger.

The Wow Package is the granite counter tops, deep sinks, the crown molding and chair rails, ceiling fans in every room, designer paint inside and out, (bolder than you would expect) custom tile at showers and floors, brand new kitchen cabinets and appliances.   And some pretty nice staging if we get that far before selling the project.

The Done Package includes landscaping front and rear, new garage door and openers, new 2 inch faux wood blinds, all new lighting, switches and plugs, all appliances are new with warrantees.  It’s just all Done.

That’s a lot of Hamburger!  The big question was, “Will the market allow that much expense?  Aren’t you in danger of over improving the neighborhood?  Wont you price yourself out of the market?”   All good questions, but here is what we found:   The realtors report back that their clients are blown away by the packages, they just dont see anything like it in the market.  Many buyers just dont want a 4o year old foreclosed REO property, or even 40 years of deferred maintence of a non REO property, no matter how well-loved it was.    The buyers love the Wow Package and the Done Package.   They just “like” the idea of the Energy Package.  They dont understand all the details, and dont know how much it cost, but they know it’s an idea who’s time has come and because it’s wrapped in those other hamburger packages that they love, they go ahead and offer on the property.

But will the projects make appraisal?   That would be the next question, wouldn’t it?   Happily, the first two have indeed appraised at or above the sale price.   The good news about that is that these houses now provide comps for future sales.    Since all our homes are in a tight little radius, we are creating our own comps.   What a country!

So with the Hamburger approach everyone wins.   I get to do my part to save the planet, one house at a time.  I also get to be a neighborhood builder.  So the neighborhood wins.   A lot of people have jobs and that’s a win these days.   My Realtor wins.  She works hard but I’m really a pretty easy client, and one she didn’t have before we started this adventure.   And the new homeowners win.   They get to spend time with their family and friends instead of working on a long list of the projects they see on HGTV.   Our country wins because these projects dont need any bail out money or grants, so there’s more left for other more difficult projects.   So it’s all good.   I wish more investors in neighborhoods all over this country  would become Energy-Wise Renovators and do the same thing.   Maybe if you tell them about this blog, some of them will.

 

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